Sure some concerts are more entertainment, it depends to who your going... but there are live performances that do add artistic value to the music. You see music in it's purest form, with it's imperfections and alterations projecting the musicians current emotions. This has nothing to do with celebrity worship or beating the crap out of each other and sorts.

Wacken Open Air has been commercial for quite a while now. Although it's a fact, it still is a good means to see some of the best bands live (carcass this year, and emperor two years ago). The rest is neglectible. Drunk people too drunk to enjoy the music. I think more than half won't remember they were there, as the delerium already set in during the first day... A pity, but effectively in enduring the crappy bands though (krypteria, nightwish, sonata arctica and the likes).

Christianity is a crutch for people who are too weak and afraid to take control of their own lives. As I said above, they are some of the most vicious, petty and evil creatures to plague this land. It is like a virus, a socially transmitted disease.Sanguine Mapsama

I see no problem with the digitalization of metal music. It's the message that you want to get across, the format is secondary to that. Sure vinyl definitely has it charms, as does tape. But consider this: these formats are fleeting, as digitized music can exist theoretically for ever. Also (Album) Art is innate to metal music, as long there's metal there will be a kind of art that represents the music.

Internet is a medium which we (still) need to get accustomed to as we had to c.d.'s, tape and vinyl in their time. internet just offers a better distribution canal for starting musicians. This has it's up and downsides. It's to the listener to filter out the good shit.

To me, Taake and Absu deliver consistent albums. It seems though that consistency is in the eye of the beholder. There seems to be a difference here in consistency in quality and consistency in style... As for Summoning perhaps the quality has been consistent, the style has not...